Dear Justyce

Author Nic Stone

Grades 9 & Up Ages 14 and up

An NPR Best Book of the Year * The stunning sequel to the critically acclaimed,  #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Martin. An incarcerated teen writes letters to his best friend about his experiences in the American juvenile justice system.

An unflinching look into the tragically flawed practices and silenced voices in the American juvenile justice system.

Vernell LaQuan Banks and Justyce McAllister grew up a block apart in the Southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Wynwood Heights. Years later, though, Justyce walks the illustrious halls of Yale University . . . and Quan sits behind bars at the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center.

Through a series of flashbacks, vignettes, and letters to Justyce--the protagonist of Dear Martin--Quan's story takes form. Troubles at home and misunderstandings at school give rise to police encounters and tough decisions. But then there's a dead cop and a weapon with Quan's prints on it. What leads a bright kid down a road to a murder charge? Not even Quan is sure.

"A powerful, raw, must-read told through the lens of a Black boy ensnared by our broken criminal justice system." -Kirkus, Starred Review

Available Formats

Trade Paperback 9781984829696
Hardcover 9781984829665
eBook 9781984829689
Unabridged Audiobook Download 9780593216903

State Awards

Kansas

2020, Kansas NEA Reading Circle, Selection

New Jersey

2022-2023, Garden State Teen Book Award, Nominee

Oklahoma

2022, OLA Sequoyah Book Award Masterlist, Nominee

Random House Children's Books Teachers and Librarians